Tag: ICU

I still remember THE moment I knew I wanted to be a critical care nurse. Yes, I broke the mold. I eventually was a new grad nurse in the ICU.

Almost 15 years and two degrees later I’m now an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner still working in the ICU.

Yep. You could say I love it.

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The views and opinions expressed on this website and/or in the videos on this channel are that of myself and not of any educational institution. In compliance with HIPAA and to ensure patient privacy, all patient identifiers in all content have been deleted and/or altered. The views expressed on this website and/or in the videos on this channel are personal opinions only, not intended as medical advice. The information I present is for general knowledge purposes only.

What if you don’t want to work medsurg when you graduate from nursing? What if you want to work in a specialty area? What if you want to work L&D? OB? ED? ICU? OR? PACU?

We all know hiring new graduate nurses into these areas is tough because these areas usually want a nurse with prior staff nurse experience. I thought I’d give you five tips that might help you get a leg up:

1. Find out the details. Don’t believe rumors.
2. Request a personal one-on-one conversation with the manager.
3. What do you have that they need?
4. Do whatever it takes.
5. Be OK with not getting what you want.

If you enjoy my work and want to support me creating new and exciting content, I’m on Patreon! With your help, I can expand and create even cooler stuff. Check me out and donate: https://www.patreon.com/seanpdent

A graduate nurse getting hired in the ICU is not unheard of, but you’re going to have to work for it. Here are 5 things to think about:

1. Did you do the legwork as a student?
2. Do your homework on the facility.
3. Stack the deck in your favor
4. Be aggressive.
5. Sometimes you need to accept another position.

Until next time…

If you enjoy my work and want to support me creating new and exciting content, I’m on Patreon! With your help, I can expand and create even cooler stuff. Check me out and donate: https://www.patreon.com/seanpdent

Does a new grad nurse need their MedSurg experience before working in the ICU?

**NSFW** I get a lil’ passionate about this topic.

This is an age-old nursing urban legend that has been passed down from generation to generation as a way to “better prepare” the next generation of nurses.

I remember hearing it when I attended my then diploma-RN program many years ago and I still hear it today. The current generation of new grad nurses want to know who they should listen to? Where should they go?

I offer some helpful tips, real-world examples and my brutally honest opinions on this topic.

[P.S. I was a new grad in the ICU. Almost 15 years later, I’m still in the ICU, now an NP.]

Until next time…

If you enjoy my work and want to support me creating new and exciting content, I’m on Patreon! With your help, I can expand and create even cooler stuff. Check me out and donate: https://www.patreon.com/seanpdent